Autumn is once again calling us out to the fells lakes and rivers to give us all a taste of its beauty and crisp smells all garnished with a reminder that winter is on its way and that summer was once here.
As the leaves turn and we watch the county side shifts from green to red and golden browns the county side becomes more of a visual treat and the cold begins to snap at us warmer kit is taken off the shelf and got out for the oncoming winter season and something i will be taking off the shelf this autumn ready for the cold snap will be the excellent buffalo mitt

What are they for? They are mitts you put them on your hands! Now the obvious is out of the way let’s get down to the nitty gritty Buffalo are a company born and bred in…

9 Ways to Transition from Summer to Fall

As summer is coming to an end, its time to put our bathing suits away and bust out the warmer sleeping bags to prepare for camping in the Fall. With cooler weather, shorter daylight, and more sight seeing, here are 9 ways to transition from Summer to Fall:

Experience warmer climates- Camping in the desert may be too extreme the summer but with the temperature dropping, Spring and Fall are the ultimate seasons to go camping in warmer climates.

Sip hot cocoa-Cooler weather means colder nights and what better way to warm up than with hot cocoa around the campfire!

The date was the 24TH of August the year 2014 the time was around 3 hours later than I would of liked it to be, but as I had not factored taking three children on this walk into the prep time. We were running behind schedule after an argument why a 9 year old could not bring a 5 foot long Nemo teddy on a walk after a tantrum and some word of compromise we put a woolly hat on Nemo and set off under the agreement he would guard the car while we walked. We also agreed that Nemo would not need boots. Finally on the road the day was sunny and cool with autumnal hints on the trees and hills as well drove up through Kendal towards the Longsleddale valley to start our walk over kentmere pike at a vantage point of 730 metres.Parking the car at a place marked on the map as Sadgill now ironically named as we were leaving a giant fish behind in the car. The parking places are next to a small bridge on your left hand side make sure to park with consideration for the local farmer who needs to use the gravel track for access to his land this parking place can be found on your OS map OL7 at Grid 484 058 Leaving the car you can start you gradual accent towards Brownhowe bottom Grid 478 085 following the track and the River up to a small bridge the track does steepen towards this but it is a short slog before it flattens out after the bridge onto a marshy plain. With some dam building on the agenda of the 9 and 10 yr olds in the small stream we stopped for a while, and wondered if Nemo was ok and if moths get headaches? But before long after building a mighty dam in the stream we were back on the trail following the path as it climbed and wound up towards Adam seat at around the 666 metre mark. It was an unforgivably cold August day and as we ascended the wind became a little bitter on the exposed paths and ridges walking up towards our lunch stop at Grid 465 097. This point on the map offers a great view with some lovely rocks to sit on, it is a little exposed and has the potential some cold winter winds if you are taking children also be mindful of the nearby Harter fell gully.After some hot chocolate a kitkat each and butty the hot chocolate heated with my esbit stove running on bio ethanol (review to follow). We set off up to Harter Fell along the fence line towards the large cairn at 778 metres grid 459 094 after this it does flatten out for your walk back so chill out the hard work is done. The views are nothing short of fantastic on a clear day the windfarms off the west Cumbrian shore are clearly visible. One thing to watch out for on a wet day or after few days of rain, may leave this part of the walk pretty boggy on the tops but some good boots, gaiters and some probing of the mud should keep you out of the worst of it despite this muddy section I managed to return with all 3 children I set off with and in a relatively clean state.Once at the trig point at Kentmere Pike Grid 466 078 simply follow the ridge line and fences back to the road meeting the road after Wray Crag the road is rocky and flat and often used by burly men in kitted out land rovers so if you have little ones with you bear this in mind. This path will take you back to your starting point feel free to soak your feet a little next to the bridge its very soothing.This walk is a bit of a hidden gem and has views to rival any of the other popular walks in the lakes and is child friendly with free parking. Fitness wise this should be well with most people’s grasp and as long as you can read a map with confidence and have the correct adequate kit you should be able to see this gem for yourself.